Student vanishes after late-night swim with classmate
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The individual last seen with missing University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki recounted saving her from turbulent Caribbean waters before losing sight of her in the night’s darkness.
Joshua Riibe, a 22-year-old Minnesota college senior, provided investigators with his account of the events but declined to address several critical questions regarding Konanki’s disappearance in the Dominican Republic.
“I was a lifesaver. I grabbed her and pulled her out,” Riibe told the Public Ministry, according to a transcript obtained by Dominican Republic’s Noticas Sin.
Riibe, who authorities have designated as a person of interest, was vacationing at the same luxury RIU Hotel & Resort in Punta Cana where Konanki was staying during spring break.
Joshua Riibe, Iowa student, has been named as a person of interest in the disappearance of Sudiksha, the Pitt pre-med student who went missing in the Dominican Republic as search efforts expand. #Missing#PuntaCana #SudikshaKonanki pic.twitter.com/bDnxPyTRcT
— Jennifer Coffindaffer (@CoffindafferFBI) March 12, 2025
Security footage documented Riibe and Konanki walking together with linked arms along the shoreline after 4 a.m. on March 6. The pair ventured into waist-deep water, where they conversed and shared intimate moments until the water conditions deteriorated.
“A big wave came and hit us both and as the water returned it came back and swept us out to sea,” Riibe told investigators.
According to Riibe’s account, both individuals called for assistance upon resurfacing, but their pleas went unheard due to the deserted beach at that late hour.
Riibe described their exhaustion from fighting the strong currents, explaining how he attempted to rescue them both from the dangerous situation.
In his statement, he detailed positioning Konanki under his arm while swimming shoreward, though he encountered significant challenges.
“It took me a long time to get her out, it was difficult. I was a lifeguard in the pool, not in the sea,” he said.
The former wrestling athlete mentioned ingesting considerable seawater during the rescue attempt.
“I could have lost consciousness several times,” Riibe told officials.
After managing to guide them both to safer waters near the shore, Riibe recalled Konanki indicating she would retrieve her belongings, which had been displaced by the water.
He observed the 20-year-old walking at an angle through knee-deep water.
“The last time I saw her, I asked her if she was ok,” Riibe said. “I didn’t hear her answer because I started vomiting all the sea water I had swallowed.”
“After I threw up, I looked around and didn’t see anyone. I thought she had grabbed her things and left.”
Following these events, Riibe mentioned resting in a beach chair until mosquito bites and daybreak roused him. He then returned to his room, briefly interacted with his friend, and resumed sleeping.
During questioning, Riibe repeatedly responded to eight crucial inquiries with the same statement: “My lawyers advise me not to answer that question and I follow their advice.”
Joshua Riibe, 24, the last person seen with missing US student Sudiksha Konanki, told Dominican police he saved her from drowning after a wave swept them into deeper waters.
The pair had met hours earlier at a Punta Cana resort before heading to the beach, where he says they… pic.twitter.com/J1aG5GPT86
— British Pakistani Index (@PakistaniIndex) March 14, 2025
Konanki’s companions reported her missing around 4 p.m. on March 6. While authorities initially suspected drowning, they announced Wednesday that other scenarios hadn’t been eliminated.
The police report appears to align with Riibe’s narrative regarding Konanki being struck by a large wave during nighttime swimming, as cited by ABC.
While the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office identified Riibe as a person of interest, they emphasized he wasn’t considered a suspect.
Riibe received support from his aunt, who insisted on his innocence, stating he “wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
Investigators believe a resort power outage may have prompted the pair’s beach excursion, as it affected the surveillance system.
Earlier on March 5, Konanki made two mysterious Venmo transactions to different recipients – one featuring only a sailboat emoji, while the other referenced “Coco Bongo,” a popular Punta Cana nightclub.
